With its stunning mountain vistas and a vibrant major city in Denver, Colorado attracts quite a few newcomers. According to the 2020 census, the state’s population rose 14.4% from 5 million in 2010 to 5.8 million in 2020. Only Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, Idaho, and Utah recorded higher jumps in population. (See how every state’s population has changed since 2010.)
More recently, Colorado’s population has remained about even between incoming and exiting residents. Based on the total number of relocations, United Van Lines 2020 National Movers Study estimates the state’s percentage of incoming residents stood at 50.4% as the percentage of outbound residents stood at 49.6%.
Similarly, relocation company Move.org, in its “State of Moving in 2020” report, placed Colorado ninth on its list of 10 most moved-from states. Yet it also ranked fourth among the top 10 moved-to states.
Moving is a personal decision dependent on many factors, so it’s hard to say why Colorado seems to be losing and gaining new residents at the same pace. In Move.org’s national poll of respondents, about half cited income loss and the search for more affordable housing as the top reasons for their move.
More specifically, a report by FOX31 and Channel 2 station in Denver notes that the folks moving to Colorado between 2010 and 2018 had $5,000 more in average household income than those who left. This suggests that a resulting boost in the cost of living and housing prices may be behind the decision by many to leave. Where is Colorado’s richest town? See the richest town in every state.
When they do leave the Centennial State, Coloradans apparently don’t stray far. Of the top three states they are moving to — Texas, California, and Arizona — all are close-by Western states. And yes, Florida cracks the top five, too. Each has the advantage of having a warmer climate than Colorado. But for skiers, Colorado is a paradise.
Click here to see where people from Colorado are moving to the most
To identify where people from Colorado are moving to most, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed state-to-state migration flows from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Migration flow figures show the estimated number of people living in other states (or Washington D.C.) in 2019 who had lived in Colorado the previous year. State population and population change figures are based on one-year estimates from the ACS (five-year estimates for Washington D.C.)
“Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error … The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.”
50. Rhode Island
> People from Colorado who moved to Rhode Island in 2019: 238 (0.12% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 2,046 (0.19% – 25th lowest)
> Total population: 1,059,361 (8th lowest)
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49. West Virginia
> People from Colorado who moved to West Virginia in 2019: 266 (0.13% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -13,685 (-0.76% – 2nd lowest)
> Total population: 1,792,147 (14th lowest)
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48. New Hampshire
> People from Colorado who moved to New Hampshire in 2019: 372 (0.19% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 3,253 (0.24% – 24th highest)
> Total population: 1,359,711 (11th lowest)
47. Mississippi
> People from Colorado who moved to Mississippi in 2019: 421 (0.21% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -10,381 (-0.35% – 6th lowest)
> Total population: 2,976,149 (18th lowest)
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46. Delaware
> People from Colorado who moved to Delaware in 2019: 530 (0.27% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 6,593 (0.68% – 13th highest)
> Total population: 973,764 (7th lowest)
45. North Dakota
> People from Colorado who moved to North Dakota in 2019: 585 (0.29% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 1,985 (0.26% – 23rd highest)
> Total population: 762,062 (5th lowest)
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44. Alaska
> People from Colorado who moved to Alaska in 2019: 685 (0.35% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -5,893 (-0.81% – the lowest)
> Total population: 731,545 (4th lowest)
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43. Vermont
> People from Colorado who moved to Vermont in 2019: 687 (0.35% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -2,310 (-0.37% – 5th lowest)
> Total population: 623,989 (2nd lowest)
42. South Dakota
> People from Colorado who moved to South Dakota in 2019: 818 (0.41% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 2,424 (0.27% – 21st highest)
> Total population: 884,659 (6th lowest)
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41. District of Columbia
> People from Colorado who moved to District of Columbia in 2019: 870 (0.44% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 8,185 (1.18% – 6th highest)
> Total population: 692,683 (3rd lowest)
40. Maine
> People from Colorado who moved to Maine in 2019: 982 (0.49% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 5,808 (0.43% – 18th highest)
> Total population: 1,344,212 (10th lowest)
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39. Connecticut
> People from Colorado who moved to Connecticut in 2019: 1,165 (0.59% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -7,378 (-0.21% – 10th lowest)
> Total population: 3,565,287 (23rd lowest)
38. Kentucky
> People from Colorado who moved to Kentucky in 2019: 1,177 (0.59% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -729 (-0.02% – 16th lowest)
> Total population: 4,467,673 (25th highest)
37. South Carolina
> People from Colorado who moved to South Carolina in 2019: 1,506 (0.76% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 64,587 (1.25% – 5th highest)
> Total population: 5,148,714 (22nd highest)
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36. Arkansas
> People from Colorado who moved to Arkansas in 2019: 1,585 (0.80% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 3,979 (0.13% – 21st lowest)
> Total population: 3,017,804 (19th lowest)
35. Pennsylvania
> People from Colorado who moved to Pennsylvania in 2019: 1,631 (0.82% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -5,071 (-0.04% – 14th lowest)
> Total population: 12,801,989 (5th highest)
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34. Louisiana
> People from Colorado who moved to Louisiana in 2019: 1,881 (0.95% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -11,184 (-0.24% – 9th lowest)
> Total population: 4,648,794 (24th highest)
33. Maryland
> People from Colorado who moved to Maryland in 2019: 1,960 (0.99% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 2,962 (0.05% – 18th lowest)
> Total population: 6,045,680 (19th highest)
32. Alabama
> People from Colorado who moved to Alabama in 2019: 2,042 (1.03% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 15,314 (0.31% – 20th highest)
> Total population: 4,903,185 (23rd highest)
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31. Indiana
> People from Colorado who moved to Indiana in 2019: 2,050 (1.03% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 40,341 (0.60% – 16th highest)
> Total population: 6,732,219 (17th highest)
30. Massachusetts
> People from Colorado who moved to Massachusetts in 2019: 2,094 (1.06% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -9,646 (-0.14% – 11th lowest)
> Total population: 6,892,503 (15th highest)
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29. Hawaii
> People from Colorado who moved to Hawaii in 2019: 2,190 (1.10% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -4,619 (-0.33% – 7th lowest)
> Total population: 1,415,872 (12th lowest)
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28. Michigan
> People from Colorado who moved to Michigan in 2019: 2,459 (1.24% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -9,058 (-0.09% – 13th lowest)
> Total population: 9,986,857 (10th highest)
27. Nebraska
> People from Colorado who moved to Nebraska in 2019: 2,816 (1.42% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 5,140 (0.27% – 22nd highest)
> Total population: 1,934,408 (15th lowest)
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26. Georgia
> People from Colorado who moved to Georgia in 2019: 2,904 (1.46% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 97,948 (0.92% – 10th highest)
> Total population: 10,617,423 (8th highest)
25. Wisconsin
> People from Colorado who moved to Wisconsin in 2019: 3,125 (1.57% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 8,866 (0.15% – 22nd lowest)
> Total population: 5,822,434 (20th highest)
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24. Wyoming
> People from Colorado who moved to Wyoming in 2019: 3,129 (1.58% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 1,022 (0.18% – 23rd lowest)
> Total population: 578,759 (the lowest)
23. Nevada
> People from Colorado who moved to Nevada in 2019: 3,206 (1.62% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 45,764 (1.49% – 2nd highest)
> Total population: 3,080,156 (20th lowest)
22. New Jersey
> People from Colorado who moved to New Jersey in 2019: 3,314 (1.67% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -26,330 (-0.30% – 8th lowest)
> Total population: 8,882,190 (11th highest)
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21. Illinois
> People from Colorado who moved to Illinois in 2019: 3,455 (1.74% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -69,259 (-0.55% – 3rd lowest)
> Total population: 12,671,821 (6th highest)
20. Minnesota
> People from Colorado who moved to Minnesota in 2019: 3,647 (1.84% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 28,453 (0.50% – 17th highest)
> Total population: 5,639,632 (21st highest)
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19. Montana
> People from Colorado who moved to Montana in 2019: 3,831 (1.93% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 6,473 (0.61% – 15th highest)
> Total population: 1,068,778 (9th lowest)
18. Ohio
> People from Colorado who moved to Ohio in 2019: 3,905 (1.97% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -342 (0.00% – 17th lowest)
> Total population: 11,689,100 (7th highest)
17. Idaho
> People from Colorado who moved to Idaho in 2019: 3,970 (2.00% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 32,857 (1.84% – the highest)
> Total population: 1,787,065 (13th lowest)
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16. Missouri
> People from Colorado who moved to Missouri in 2019: 4,032 (2.03% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 10,976 (0.18% – 24th lowest)
> Total population: 6,137,428 (18th highest)
15. Iowa
> People from Colorado who moved to Iowa in 2019: 4,472 (2.25% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -1,075 (-0.03% – 15th lowest)
> Total population: 3,155,070 (21st lowest)
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14. Virginia
> People from Colorado who moved to Virginia in 2019: 4,588 (2.31% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 17,834 (0.21% – 25th highest)
> Total population: 8,535,519 (12th highest)
13. Tennessee
> People from Colorado who moved to Tennessee in 2019: 4,674 (2.36% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 59,164 (0.87% – 11th highest)
> Total population: 6,829,174 (16th highest)
12. New Mexico
> People from Colorado who moved to New Mexico in 2019: 5,038 (2.54% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 1,401 (0.07% – 20th lowest)
> Total population: 2,096,829 (16th lowest)
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11. Oregon
> People from Colorado who moved to Oregon in 2019: 5,730 (2.89% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 27,024 (0.64% – 14th highest)
> Total population: 4,217,737 (25th lowest)
10. New York
> People from Colorado who moved to New York in 2019: 5,754 (2.90% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -88,648 (-0.46% – 4th lowest)
> Total population: 19,453,561 (4th highest)
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9. North Carolina
> People from Colorado who moved to North Carolina in 2019: 6,089 (3.07% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 104,464 (1.00% – 9th highest)
> Total population: 10,488,084 (9th highest)
8. Washington
> People from Colorado who moved to Washington in 2019: 6,829 (3.44% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 79,302 (1.04% – 7th highest)
> Total population: 7,614,893 (13th highest)
7. Kansas
> People from Colorado who moved to Kansas in 2019: 7,224 (3.64% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 1,804 (0.06% – 19th lowest)
> Total population: 2,913,314 (17th lowest)
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6. Utah
> People from Colorado who moved to Utah in 2019: 7,856 (3.96% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 44,853 (1.40% – 4th highest)
> Total population: 3,205,958 (22nd lowest)
5. Oklahoma
> People from Colorado who moved to Oklahoma in 2019: 9,020 (4.55% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 13,892 (0.35% – 19th highest)
> Total population: 3,956,971 (24th lowest)
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4. Florida
> People from Colorado who moved to Florida in 2019: 13,656 (6.88% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 178,412 (0.83% – 12th highest)
> Total population: 21,477,737 (3rd highest)
3. Arizona
> People from Colorado who moved to Arizona in 2019: 14,684 (7.40% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 107,071 (1.47% – 3rd highest)
> Total population: 7,278,717 (14th highest)
2. California
> People from Colorado who moved to California in 2019: 15,085 (7.60% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: -44,822 (-0.11% – 12th lowest)
> Total population: 39,512,223 (the highest)
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1. Texas
> People from Colorado who moved to Texas in 2019: 18,189 (9.17% of all outbound Coloradans)
> 1-year net change in population: 294,036 (1.01% – 8th highest)
> Total population: 28,995,881 (2nd highest)
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